As mentioned in yesterday's commentary, Second Isaiah is prophesizing the return to Jerusalem out of the Babylonian exile. Shall no longer come to you. This echoes the meaning of Isaiah's name, which means the "salvation of Yahweh." 2 Having read the book, one might wonder about the strong presence of judgment that runs through the first thirty-nine chapters when the theme is salvation. Isaiah 52 - Joy When the LORD Reigns in Zion A. Feet are mentioned instead of their whole persons, because the instruments of motion, and so of bringing the tidings, and of running to and fro with them from place to place, and even though they are dirty and defiled with sin; for Gospel ministers are not free from it, and are men of like passions with others; yet are beautiful when their walk and ministry, conversation and doctrine, agree together; and their feet are particularly so, being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. to this victory celebration in which comfort is clearly defined as Gods own coming, Gods engagement with Gods people, the text pulls us all out of ourselves and into song. that bringeth good tidings of good; or, "that bringeth good tidings" {l}; for the original does not require such a tautology; it means the same good tidings as before, and which follow after: that publisheth salvation; by Jesus Christ, as wrought out by him for sinners, which is full, complete, and suitable for them, and to be had of him freely; and what better tidings than this? The idea in the mind of the prophet is not, that the messenger is so near that the sordid appearance of his feet could be seen. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, Prophesy! For thus says the LORD: The feet speak of activity, motion, and progress, and those who are active and moving in the work of preaching the gospel have beautifulfeet. Despite this seemingly straightforward progression of events, upon closer look, we discover several surprises in the story. As mentioned, the text gestures beyond its historical confines. Who is the one who struck You? (Luke 22:63-64). a. b. Finally, the watchmen watching for the messenger cannot contain themselves! How beautiful How exceeding precious and acceptable; upon the mountains Of Judea, to which these glad tidings were brought; are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings Tidings, first, Of the release of the Jews from captivity in Babylon; and, secondly, Of the redemption and salvation of mankind by the Messiah. Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high: The first words of the LORD in the mouth of the prophet regarding His Servant declare His victory. 1st: shares how God views us as we share His word with others and 2nd: shares humbleness and servant hood. How delightful on the mountains Are the feet of one who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns! The messenger has brought good news from Babylon to Jerusalem (Brueggemann, 138). Good News! Selah. From the words of the prophet that begin Second Isaiah (Comfort! Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Depart, depart, go out from there (v. 11a). They petitioned Darius to examine the archives to confirm that Cyrus had, in fact, commissioned the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5). Their sharp eyes search the horizon for signs, signs of the messengers who bring the results of the battle in which the peoples future is at stake. So it is here. Menasseh Ben Israel, Nishmat Chayim, fol. This shalom is a shalom for all creation and for culture and for expressions of human life; the city, for example, with all of its structures is called into this shalom. Being awakened, we discover that two sets of attire are waiting for us: First, His strength, so that we may not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves round about; and secondly, the beautiful garments of our Lord's character. meaning. The good news that is announced, the peace and salvation given to all reaches beyond all the limits we may wish to place on it. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns., How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. This has led to a crisis of faith. Awake This is a prediction and promise what she should do, that she should awake or arise out of her low estate, and be strong and courageous. These sentinels see the messenger at a distance, but understand from his gestures that the news is good. The Redeemer 1. Albert Schweitzer, who did great good things in Africa for God, said, Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more upon it (from his book, Out of My Life and Thought). To people imprisoned in the Nazi death camps, the American GIs who liberated them were a beautiful sight, even though the GIs needed a shave and shower and were clothed in olive-drab uniforms. Isaiah 52:7 appears to share text with Nahum 1:15, although Nahum does not mention the beauty of the evangelists' feet. The Lord is king! Additionally, Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-5 and plainly says it is a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 12:16-21). In fact, as we enter the twelve days of Christmas we are immediately reminded of death on the day after Christmas and the martyrdom of Stephen and then, a few days, the remembrance of the Holy Innocents, the murder of children. Two primary images are used to convey the bringer of the good news. Put on your beautiful garmentsfor the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you: Jerusalem could put on clothes of beauty and glory because the time of judgment was over. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that said to Zion, Your God reigns! (g) Signifying that the joy and good tidings of their deliverance would make their affliction in the mean time more easy: but this is chiefly meant of the spiritual joy, as in Na 1:15, Ro 10:15. 3. Before it speed the heralds, appearing on the sky line as they ascend the mountains which surround the Holy City, publishing peace and salvation, Isaiah 52:7. 11. Go out from there: Prophetically, this has both a near and a distant application. See, Christ persuades the church to believe his free redemption. ". And His form more than the sons of men. Just as Jerusalem was sold for nothing (a.k.a. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Awake, awake! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. 1:29 ). Gods action is not some private act or simply some spiritual event, for the people will return home as part of a visibly socio-political event and the ruins of Jerusalem shall be reconstructed. halcyon days! Proud member Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. b. The Lord who reigns is God over all gods, over all those forces, powers, idols, and obsessions that enslave the people. (m) Vajikra Rabba, sect. Hear the good news! We have come full circle. The prophet Isaiah is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This chapter is a prophecy of the glorious state of the church in the latter day, typified by the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon. 1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this earlier instance, we might think of the ruins of the city as a metaphor for the people of Jerusalem. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple. What did God mean when He said, I will not give my glory to another in Isaiah 48:11? O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. Seen on the distant hills, running rapidly, he is a beautiful object. asked the LORD to put on strength (Isaiah 51:9). 2. The invitation to sing has been issued before (42:10-12) and not only human creatures, but heavens, earth, mountains, and trees have been called to join in the song (44:23). a. tells Zion to put on strength in light of the first two awakenings. The watchmen cannot refrain from singing with joy. Isaiah exulted in the good news that the Lord had just revealed. The Egyptians and Assyrians have both oppressed the Hebrews in the past, but now God is going to . Their situation seemed hopeless and their bondage seemed to have no end. A new day has dawned! Therefore they shall know in that day If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Put on your strength, O Zion; There is an ironic quality to this verse. Not of the messenger that brought the news of Cyrus's proclamation of liberty to the Jews; rather of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord; best of Christ himself, the messenger of the covenant, who was anointed to preach glad tidings to the meek, and by whom grace, peace, life, and salvation came; and also of the apostles of Christ, for The larger context of these verses (see 51:17-23) vividly describes how the people of Israel have been devastated and depopulated in the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. advertisement Join now to personalize . You waste places of Jerusalem! Being in great distress and confusion, the Jews gave up all for lost. If the Suffering Servant was about someone who already lived and died prior to Jesus, that would seem to imply that at least Israel already had a restored relationship with God. Psalm 59:13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Yalkut Simeoni in Psal. Shake yourself from the dust, arise; The second Awake, awake! Into Egypt to dwell there; Why is Jesus referred to as a man of sorrows in Isaiah 53:3? It is a variation of Theodora and it has a cute nickname Feo, pronounced as Fee-oh. The call to separate from Babylon both literal and spiritual is a call to purity, for those who bear the vessels of the LORD. c. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks: In Isaiahs day, they didnt know that the LORD had spoken through His Word. Let the word of God tell you who He is. the. For thus says Yahweh You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money' (v. 3). In the Bible, it is often used to speak of Jerusalem itself. In some way, he conveys to the sentinels that the news is good. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 41:27; Nahum 1:15 ). When we speak of physical beauty, we seldom if ever mention feet. correct. And the people of God are called to go out of Babylon, the manner of their departure is directed, and something said for their encouragement, Isa 52:11,12. (1-3) Wake up to the LORD's redemption of Zion. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. A second image used is that of sentinels keeping watch from the walls of the city. No wonder those who bring good news have beautiful feet; they are out partnering with God for the salvation of men. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophetIsaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns! The good news news of peace, glad tidings, and salvation can all be summed up in the glorious proclamation, Your God reigns! Where God reigns, peace reigns. So shall He sprinkle many nations. They call Zion to awake and get dressed in beautiful garments to celebrate the fact that the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer tread the streets of Jerusalem (v. 1). In the eyes of all the nations; First, it is the image of a messenger that travels by foot over mountain passes to bring good news to a beleaguered people regarding a victory over the enemy the fastest means to spread news in that world. He has redeemed Jerusalem. Now their freedom is dependent on their willingness to do what Yahweh has commanded. ii. Zion and the towns of Judah constitute the watchmen. Cyrus will reverse the cruel oppression of the Babylonians and will allow the people of Judah to return to their homeland and to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. The word ruins describes Jerusalem after the Babylonian devastation. The astonishment mentioned may be subtly referred to in the New Testament. This page last updated: November 29, 2022. It is in the midst of death that a song arises, rejoicing in a promise. The LORD has made bare His holy arm Yahweh has used the Babylonians to punish the exiles and to prepare them for redemption, but that phase of their history is drawing to a close. This does not mean that anxiety or fear ceases to exist though. Therefore My people shall know My name; While Yahweh guaranteed the restoration, he didnt make it easy. A Youth Group message that shares two messages in one. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. The author is Second Isaiah, who wrote chapters 40-55 to bring words of hope to the people of Judah, who have suffered defeat and have seen their beloved Jerusalem destroyed and many of their fellow-citizens killed by the sword. O captive daughter of Zion! Salem Media Group. Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs? 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